Serio IT Service Desk & Helpdesk Blog

In case you have been sitting on a desert island recently (and if so, lucky you), you’ll have noticed that Microsoft have announced Windows 7. The public and press reception is probably summed up by the word ‘underwhelmed’ as shown here and here.

What caught my eye was Steve Ballmer saying ‘Vista isn’t a failure’. Oh yeah? I think even having to say that tells it’s own story…

As someone that works for an ISV (Independent Software Vendor) I can tell you than new Operating Systems are like Acts of God like floods, typhoons or earthquakes, but with advance warnings – there’s no point in moaning about it, you just need to prepare as best you can.

It’s just that, with Vista, it was really hard to see what it gave anyone that was extra. OK, it looks much nicer, but it needs a relatively big, beefy computer to run it, and in many aspects (such as networking) it doesn’t interoperate well with XP or Windows 2003, and most importantly doesn’t run a lot of applications (derisively called legacy applications by Microsoft) that users want to run.

It seems most of you agree. Here at Serio, only our smallest customers have taken-up Vista, and for these it’s not so much a choice as it is what came pre-installed on their newest computers. For companies with more than 300 computers it seems like Vista offers nothing in return for the considerable cost and time in upgrading. What evidence we have for actual use of Vista is discussed here and it’s not particularly good reading for Microsoft.

So what about Windows 7 then? Well as far as we can tell it’s all about touch – rather than exclusively using a mouse to interact with a computer, you’ll directly interact with the screen as you do with devices like the Apple iPhone. We’ve been here before though, as we blogged about over a year ago.

Personally I take touch screen with a pinch of salt. For a start, it takes a good deal of energy to hold your arms directly in front of you (go on, try it), particularly if your company’s health and safety police have moved your screen to the optimum distance away from your face. I can’t see users doing this for more than a few minutes before they reach for the mouse again.

Secondly, a lot of people eat at their desks. Muck that is currently sitting on keyboard and mice will end-up on screens as well where you have to look at it.

I have to say that, right now, it’s hard not to feel underwhelmed by the prospect of another desktop Operating System. I see Microsoft’s need to release one (investor pressure) but I can’t see a corresponding user need just yet.

Technorati Tags: Vista, Windows 7, Operating Systems

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This is a follow-up to this earlier post which focused on some of the downsides of running in extended hours. This post however will take a more positive stance, with some of the things that can help ameliorate some of the points made in the earlier post.

Examine your budget, because it probably isn’t enough. Lots of factors will come into play such as

• Recruitment Agency Fees (if you use them). Negotiate a realistic rate and refund period, and plan for higher than usual churn.
• Training budgets. Inevitably higher staff turnover has a double-whammy effect: it reduces your call throughput (less experienced staff), and increases training charges.
• Don’t spend your budget exclusively on bonuses and allowances, it might not be getting you the best value.

“We under-budgeted, or rather budgeted like it was 2 x 9 to 5. The project suffered for months as a result.”

Consider the practicalities. Some staff, those without cars, find travelling at unsociable hours difficult. Whilst at the start of their employment in the bright summer months standing waiting for a 10:00pm bus sounds OK, it might not be so nice in the middle of December. See if you have the funds to offer assisted transport – taxis, minibuses and the like. This can help to reduce staff fatigue and churn.

“The change having the free minibus made on the 6:00pm till 11:00pm shift was significant. It was particularly appreciated by women who no-longer had to travel on late night buses, well worth the £6k a year it cost us.”

Check how you are selling the jobs. There’s no point in painting an overly-rosy picture. If shift working is unavoidable don’t make it seem otherwise. If you are using an agency make sure you understand that your objectives and theirs are not necessarily the same – so make sure you have seen how the positions are advertised. If you like, make a test application to see if potential recruits are being soft-soaped.

Offer a career path. This is closely linked to ‘how you are selling the job’ above. If you offer this as a lure to fill shift-based you need to be seen to deliver this quite quickly (but remember it’s a process rather than an event).

“Setting aside some time for training, and having a structured approach, is key. Training for actual qualifications (technical qualifications like MSCE or ITIL) is useful if you can afford it. The worse the job is, the more you’ve got to have this. Don’t forget it’s useful as well because you end up with better-qualified people talking your customers.”

Flexible working. It’s easy to see flexible working as another complication, but it can help in service delivery as well.

“Having had constant problems with retention, we created a pool of staff. We agree to give them a minimum number of hours each month, and I can then call and ask them to come in at different times. So it might be someone’s week off, having worked 12 hours the previous week, and I say ‘ can you work tonight for 5 hours’. If they can they say yes, if they can’t they say no. Then there are others who work longer and more regular shifts. I mix the two up to get a full rota.

It’s been useful for women trying to get back into support or customer-service type roles after having children. They like the extra income it gives them, and makes childcare less of an issue if they are working evenings. Some people employed this way have been with us over two years. It was a great innovation”.

Technorati Tags: IT Service Management, Helpdesk

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